About The Novel

Raves & Praise

"Beautifully detailed and rich in exceptional characterization ... Curran's novel gently reminds readers that fantasy has a place in everyone's life, and dreams can come true. Uniquely uplifting and never didactic, this is a gem." -BOOKLIST, starred review

"With a masterful wit and clever twists, Sheila Curran has created an intricately woven mystery. Captivating, fast-paced, no-holds-barred storytelling, DIANA LIVELY IS FALLING DOWN defies pigeon-holing. Wrestling the complexities of motherhood, loss and betrayal, politics, the environment, and theme parks, it is at once intimate, domestic, and worldly. A debut to celebrate!" -Julianna Baggott, GIRLTALK, THE MISS AMERICA FAMILY, THE MADAM

"Brilliant, touching, and funny as hell, Diana Lively packs a powerful punch. A poignant and biting satire of contemporary family life, American business, ivory-tower academics, and trans-Atlantic cultural differences, this spirited romp through an Englishwoman's Arizona deserves a unique place of honor on any bookshelf. Diana is one of those stories that can linger forever in one's own memory and imagination, as a reference point for every new book that comes along, or even more, for life itself. Wry, engaging, and wise beyond words, Diana is bound to delight and amaze." -Carlos Eire, 2003 National Book Award winner, WAITING FOR SNOW IN HAVANA

"DIANA LIVELY IS FALLING DOWN is a terrific pick-me-up. You couldn't find two more disparate landscapes than Oxford, England and Arizona, and that's exactly what one British woman discovers when she crosses the pond to find herself a fish-out-of-water -- only to realize that for the first time in her life, this means she can stand on her own two feet. Filled with characters who make you laugh out loud even as they break your heart, this is a funny, warm, inventive, original book."
-Jodi Picoult, NYT bestselling author of VANISHING ACTS and MY SISTER'S KEEPER

Traffic

Joni Rodgers -- who started her writing career after being diagnosed with cancer and wrote the best-selling BALD IN THE LAND OF BIG HAIR -- is one of those women you know you'd just love if you lived next door. Though she doesn't like to think of herself as a ghostwriter, but rather as a literary sherpa, I think her 'day job' sounds like a lot of fun. Plus, having helped Lance Armstrong and his mother write their memoir would be, for me, the equivalent of helping Bruce Springsteen pick which guitar to take out to the big lights My brother died of the same cancer Lance survived and our family has cheered the man through his many triumphs. I may not agree with his politics, but who cares, the guy is tough.

It's gotten great press and is in my TO BE READ file as soon as i finish the second novel, which, is still kicking my ass and taking names...

So, here's our interview which ends with a declaration that makes me think Joni's found her sisters in Houston, for sure.

If I had to offer two bumper sticker explanations for my novel, they’d be “Appearances are deceiving” and “Mean people suck.”Tell me what your slogans would be, and why.

The Secret Sisters is the braided story of three women who are each in a different kind of prison: Pia suffers from a panic disorder, Beth is trapped in the past by her anger and grief, and Lily is in a state penitentiary as the result of a fatal drunk driving accident. Each in her own way discovers the power of this tidbit of ancient wisdom: “The truth shall set you free.”

Your two favorite movies over the past twelve months and why?

Oh, dear. I don't think I can narrow it down to two. We're a movie loving family. A Prairie Home Companion fan from way back, I thought they did a wonderful job with the movie, which could have so easily gone so terribly wrong. Gotta love Little Miss Sunshine for the simple but beautiful script and poignantly perfect acting. Closing credits of V for Vendetta left me bawling with that awesomely profound mash-up featuring Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and Gloria Steinem. (Revolution from within!) Children of Men was amazing in every way. And for pure visuals, I enjoyed the beefcake buffet that was 300 (aka “Pecs and the City”.) Go Spartans!

What was the one thing you learned in getting your book published that you were really surprised to find out?

This was my sixth book, so I was surprised to find that I learned just as much as I did with my first. That’s one of the wonderful things about this job. Each book is a fresh challenge, as the high-diving-horse-trick of making a daily living in the publishing industry is an ongoing adventure.

If you had to pick one and only one condition (beyond computer or pen and paper) that would allow you to write would it be: a. solitudeb. caffienec.sleepd. foode.sexor f.______.

a) Solitude. Now leave me alone!

5.Do you have a favorite genre?If so, who are your three favorite writers? If not, who are your three favorite writers and how have they influenced your work?

My three favorite books are Sidhartha by Hermann Hesse, Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, and Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, but my favorite writers are my critique partners: Colleen, Bobbi, Wanda, TJ, and Anna. We “Midwives” help each other through the creative process and daily labor pains of the writing life. My work would not be half as clean or confident without their candid but loving criticism.

I was once told that everyone in "publishing" reads only the first paragraph. I usually try to give it at least a page or two, but I must say that Becky Motew's book COUPON GIRL got me. First of all, there's just a great irreverent voice and second a love/hate affair with the world of sales (otherwise known as the real world.) Anyhow, I introduce you to Becky via the hateful old interview of questions just like everyone else's and also a couple of quotes and a picture... I will say that I'll go out on a limb and buy the book based on my sample of her first chapter on her website..

Also, if you visit her website by clicking on the site above, she's got a very inventive offer of cleaning certain parts of her house's anatomy... racheted up, based on how many books...\

Here are Becky's answers to my questions:

1)What a great idea.I used to threaten to needlepoint my heartfelt slogans and hang them over my doorway, but bumper stickers would be much easier.Plus I don’t know how to needlepoint.My selections would be: “Everything in Life Happens on the Same Day” and “Sex Ruins Everything.” In a Dating Sense, I should add, not wanting to make the sticker too long.

2)Notes on a Scandal because Judi Dench is riveting.She could read the phone book and I would sit rapt.Little Miss Sunshine – what a life-affirming weird bunch of losers!!!

3)I was totally surprised to learn how many times I would have to synopsize it.Describe your book in one page.Now describe it in one paragraph.Now in one line.In French!.If your book were a piece of fruit, what would it be?Yikes.

5)There aren’t many kinds of books that I don’t enjoy.The Old Favorites, such as Catch-22, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,even Little Women come to mind.I like to laugh and so I enjoy Jenny Colgan, Mark Haddon, and Louise Wener, all Brits (I’m an anglophile!).If I’m under stress, I like to read mysteries and thrillers and Michael Connelly is great.I think every author one reads has an influence on one’s own work, even if just reminds you of a certain word you've forgotten. Sherlock Holmes is always very polite. "Thank you," he says constantly and that reminds me of something I can do with one of my characters. You get me?Anyway, my mother used to yell at me that I always had my nose in a book and I guess I still do.

Abby Dunn, barely past thirty and still reeling from her divorce, has taken herself off the dating market.Instead, she’s using her experience to turn the tables on the opposite sex by building a database to rank underperforming men and set women straight when investing their greatest asset:themselves.

Here's our interview:

1. If I had to offer two bumper sticker explanations for my novel, they'd be "Appearances are deceiving" and "Mean people suck." Tell me what your slogans would be, and why.

“Knowledge isn’t necessarily power.” There is such a thing as knowing too much too soon. Half the fun of not knowing everything about someone right off is getting to learn for yourself, which is something Abby, INSIDER DATING’s main character, has to learn for herself.

“Honk if you’re smart enough to know better.” Abby is very smart but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t make mistakes.

2. Your two favorite movies over the past twelve months and why?

Here’s where I admit I don’t go to the movies – in fact, that last “grown up” movie I went to was in 1993 (I say grown-up because I don’t think Shrek counts). I do rent movies, though, and I rented The Squid and the Whale a few months ago. I LOVED it. It was odd, disturbing, funny in a sad way and yet not depressing. Brilliant.

3.. What was the one thing you learned in getting your book published that you were really surprised to find out?

I wish I’d realized that the thrill that comes from finishing a manuscript lasts approximately 32 seconds – and then the reality sets in: you need to come up with another book idea to do it all over again.

4.. If you had to pick one and only one condition (beyond computer or pen and paper) that would allow you to write would it be: a. solitude b. caffiene c. sleep d. food e. sex or f. ______.

Other: being around books (I usually write in bookstores).

5. Do you have a favorite genre? If so, who are your three favorite writers? If not, who are your three favorite writers and how have they influenced your work? I really enjoy YA. I started reading it again before I sold my first YA, just to get a handle on it. I didn’t just read current works, but also those I loved growing up. My most favorite YA writers are Norma Klein and Judy Blume. They’re timeless and reading one of their books today you still feel like they understood what it’s like growing up.

Shanna Swendson's work is characterized as a cross between Harry Potter and chick lit, part of the paranormal wave that's gotten so hot. With honeybees disappearing in droves and the ice caps melting at ever increasing rates, it's no surprise to me that when it comes to escape, we all think magic might be in order.

I have decided not to fret over-much about the fact that we're not long for this earth, 'cause apparently they've discovered something similar to earth WAY out in space, and for those on the W wavelength, it doesn't matter since the end is near. I'm a believer, but I haven't gotten the memo that we're in the four horseman days. Just in case we're not, and the space travel thing doesn't materialize, I'm scoping out barrels to store rice and flour and canned tomatoes. That grain-and-water diet scientists are predicting is going to play havoc with my pyloric valve, but am truly happy to think that hops are in the grain category, so at least i can perish happily. Anyhow, just in case the honeybees truly do stop pollinating the 90% of the food supply we currently have disappears, I'll be ready. Am also shopping for local, sustainable food, since that helps sustainable farmers stay in business and, while I'm at it, fantasizing about solar panels to generate all our electricity so we can keep the air conditioners running when the going gets hot, as it does most summers in Florida.

Okay, off the soap box and onto the podium to introduce Shanna's next Damsel novel.

About the Author

Shanna Swendson escaped the corporate rat race to be a novelist and pop culture essayist.She is the author of Enchanted, Inc. and Once Upon Stilettos, in addition to contributing essays to books about television series, authors, and novels.When she’s not writing or watching television and movies so she can write about them, she enjoys cooking, traveling, and singing.Visit her web site at www.shannaswendson.com.